G1 To Make Australian Appearance?

Oi Mates! Now that the Kogan Agora appears to be on ice, at least for the near future, it's time for some potential good news for Android-lovers Down Under - an Optus Mobile technical document has appeared as evidence of an Android G1 being available in Australia. Courtesy of ZDNet's Australian branch, these docs have appeared and should give Aussies a glimmer of hope that the HTC-made G1 may be locally purchased instead of having to be imported at exorbitant prices. There is no hint as to when this will take place, but for the sake of Android aficionados in Australia, let's hope it happens soon!

"Shining" Phone Bears Agora Resemblance

Could this be the Second Coming of the Kogan Agora phone that was mothballed before it even saw the light of day? This "shining" phone has popped up on alibaba.com and, if you are willing to buy a lot of 100 @ $240.00 a piece, this new Android vaporware phone can be yours!

Please note that these are not actual pictures, but instead conceptual images of ... the Kogan Agora's lost twin? Hmmmm. Whether it's a REAL Kogan Agora or a REAL knock-off of a Kogan Agora, I think it's safe to say that we all would love to see some fresh faces in the Android handset arena.

Slowly but surely Android is going to be in the hands of more and more users and that my friend is a good thing. Especially if they use Germany's pricing of the G1. (It's going to sell for 1 Euro, roughly $1.33).

T-Mobile G1 Battery Replacements Already Shipping?

Remember those reports that the T-Mobile G1 users were going to receive a free battery replacement for the anemic battery currently in the G1? Well, according to TmoNews, one user has already received their replacement battery and it is packed with 22% more power. The new replacement battery contains 1400mAh of much needed juice while the original battery is at a paltry 1150 mAh. Supposedly, the new 1400mAh battery can be used with the original battery door so there is no size increase.

Kudos to T-Mobile if they really are planning on sending out batteries to us G1 users. But we're not sure if this report can be confirmed since only one single user has spoken up about this. What about you guys? Anyone lucky enough to receive a new battery?

Samsung to Make Android Device For Sprint & T-Mobile

Our stance on Android Devices is that we want more of them, from any phone maker, on any network. Year 2009 seems to be shaping up in a big way for Android Devices and looks to be even bigger with Samsung confirming that they'll be bringing an Android Device to both Sprint AND T-Mobile this year. According to Samsung:

“We are accelerating the development process for Google phones in order to meet the specific needs of local carriers”

We're going to remain hopeful and translate "accelerating the development process" to "as soon as possible". We here at Android Central are crossing our fingers for the much fabled Second Android Device.

Cellular Networks Preparing for Inauguration

Countless numbers of cellphone-wielding citizens are about to descend upon our nation's capital for Tuesday's Presidential Inauguration of Barack Obama. Wireless providers are bracing for the spike in traffic, like cell phone calls, text messages, emails, and multimedia messages.

Temporary antennas and portable wireless towers, like those pictured to the right, are being added in an attempt to handle the increased traffic, but they are expected to be easily overwhelmed on Tuesday. Wireless carriers are even pleading with the public to consider the increased traffic and limit phone calls and sending pictures.

Joe Farren, spokesman for the Cellular Telecommunications and Internet Association, an industry trade group, said the following:

“If some of these estimates [increased traffic] come true, people should anticipate delays with regards to sending text messages or making phone calls or getting onto the Internet.”

If your text messages or data connections are slower than normal on your T-Mobile Android G1 this Tuesday, it's likely the Inauguration has something to do with it.

DroidBerry Theme For Blackberry Bold Makes It Look Like Android

Ah, the serene infinity water wallpaper. The giant clock. The battery charge icon. It all looks so familiar--but what is that darned Blackberry Logo doing on the bottom tab !? Well, turns out folks, our friends over at Crackberry have found a way to make their Bolds look more like Androids and from our perspective, it looks pretty accurate. There are a few obvious Blackberry touches but for the most part Jason Calhoun, the creator of this theme, did a really great job. What is more than a bit weird is that the Giant Clock doesn't actually work...it's just for show.

We've said it before but Android needs a Blackberry Bold type form factor because that simply would be a game changer. We guess merging an Android Theme with the Bold is a semi-start, kind of?

Reported Facts About the Cupcake Update to Android

Fresh off our report that the T-Mobile G1 should be receiving the Cupcake Update to Android by the end of January, more reported facts are coming out in regards to the G1, Cupcake, and Android. Here's a list of them which include some already known pieces of information:

There WILL be a G1 update shortly as it was INTENDED to be by mid-January so the next target is now by the end of January.

T-Mobile will not just provide Cupcake elements to the G2 and leave the G1 behind.

The next update will be called RC31 and include Cupcake elements.

The mass of calls lately for Cupcake is registering and causing T-Mobile to double their efforts in getting the update out.

NO ONE has received RC31 as of today.

When the update is released it will be done in stages “Over The Air” but it will be by region not when you purchased the G1.

The memo I was privy to is NOT distributed to Support personnel.

T-Mobile Specialists & Support are LAST to know when an update happens and are notified AFTER it is released as was the case with RC29 & RC30.

T-Mobile does have a battery improvement program in motion

T-Mobile’s plan for battery improvement will be one of OR a combination of efficiencies in an OTA update and an extended life battery replacement.

MyFaves Available As A Free Add-On ?

One of T-Mobile's flagship offerings is their MyFaves feature which allows free calling to a certain amount of people on any network. It's a fairly popular aspect of T-Mobile and according to some customers, it is now being offered (for a limited time only, of course) as a free add-on!

We're not sure about the exact specifics necessary in your rate plan, length of contract, etc. in order to receive MyFaves for free but it's definitely worth calling T-Mobile and checking it out. From what we're hearing, a lot of folks are receiving it but some aren't so lucky. Let us know in the comments if you do try to add MyFaves for free!

Android Market Will Become Available to Germany, Austria, Czech Republic, Netherlands & Poland

Google's Eric Chu has contacted Android Developers that new countries can now be targeted in Android Market. Though not all of these countries actually have Android-capable phones quite yet, when they finally do, they'll have a slew of apps to choose from.

What's currently unclear is what their exact plans for releasing Android in those markets are. We'll be on the lookout for more news on the European Front as it comes by.

Here's the full E-Mail, as delivered:

Hello,
I’m writing to let you know that Android Market will become available to users in Germany, Austria, Czech Republic, Netherlands, and Poland in the
coming weeks. You can now target these countries for your application(s)
via the publisher website at market.android.com/publish. As we add support
for additional countries, we will send out subsequent notifications to
you. Note that your apps will not become available in these new countries
unless you specifically select them in the publisher website.
Thanks for your support, and we look forward to continue working with you
on Android Market.
Eric Chu,
Android Market

According to AndroidGuys, CellHut.com, a fairly popular online website that is known to sell unlocked phones, has begun to sell a contract-free T-Mobile G1 for $499. After digging through the CellHut website it looks like it isn't a fully unlocked version since it specifically states that it's only compatible with T-Mobile.

The news that it isn't unlcoked is a bit strange but if you're looking for a place to buy your T-Mobile G1 you can now add CellHut.com and Amazon.com to your list of options.

T-Mobile G1 To Get Cupcake Update By The End of January?

There had been rumors that the T-Mobile G1 wasn't going to be receiving the much anticipated Cupcake Update to Android. Thankfully, those reports proved to be false. In even better news, we're getting news that the Cupcake Update might actually show up at the end of January. As in the end of this month.

Supposedly, the update will be delivered through a series of OTA updates and determined through your region, not the date of purchase. Whichever way we have it, we want it. Hopefully T-Mobile and Google can stick to their target date and get it out by the end of this month because we're SO looking forward to an on-screen keyboard.

T-Mobile G1 Available on Amazon.com

We're not exactly sure when this happened--whether it was a month ago, a week ago, or a day ago--but the T-Mobile G1 is now available for purchase on Amazon.com! Unlike other phones sold on Amazon.com there isn't any amazing deal, in fact, it's priced at the usual $179.99 price point (albeit with free two day shipping). Typical for Amazon.com phone purchases however is that there's a $250 fee for canceling the service plan before 181 days. Eek.

Either way, even though it isn't a lovely Amazon Gold Box deal, we see that T-Mobile is expanding its footprint with the G1 and starting to offer it to the mass market. We're excited to see how big the T-Mobile G1 can get.

Motorola: 4,000 Layoffs Expected, Android Team Is Safe

Ah, the worst is to be expected when it comes to Motorola and our current economic climate. Motorola announced that 4,000 workers will be laid off and most of it will come in their struggling mobile division. Definitely sad news for a company that was so dominant just a few years ago.

However, the Android Team is supposed to be safe so maybe they can pump out an Android Device and be successful so they won't have to lay off all those hard working employees. We at Android Central have been desperately wishing for a Motorola Android Device--hopefully it really can save the company from going under.

An Android Camera Hat Is Made to Help The Tech Unsavvy

We won't really get into the stylistic elements of this Android-powered camera "hat", I mean that model speaks for itself, no? But what is kind of, semi-cool is that someone actually made a Camera Hat based on Android to help those who have no idea how to solve common tech problems.

Dan O'Sullivan created this Android Camera-hat to help his mom with basic tech support--I mean it's a heck of a lot easier helping those with technology when you can see what they're doing wrong right? What's a little bit bothering is that Android seems to be being ported to EVERYTHING other than smartphones. What's the deal with that guys?

Portions of this page are modifications based on work created and shared by the Android Open Source Project
and used according to terms described in the Creative Commons 2.5 Attribution License. AndroidCentral is an independent site
that is not affiliated with or endorsed by Google.